One of the main premises of the F-35 was that it would engage long before the opposing force ever saw it on radar. I’ve always thought this was a bad assumption. If the opposing side developed stealth technology to the point where our radar couldn’t track them, air to air engagements return to dogfights conducted within visual range. You could argue that our radar is better than opposing stealth tech but that is a conversation for another place and time.

This article highlights another aspect that may have been over looked.

Visual recognition and confirmation prior to hostilities. Granted not all encounters will begin like this but those that do don’t look great for the F-35. If the F-22, a dedicated air to air fighter, starts a a disadvantage when sighting opposing fighters, the F-35 probably is at an even greater disadvantage.

I have no idea if the article is accurate but it is interesting if it is.